re-framing educational equity: An international collaboration

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

In Association with the SERA Theory and Philosophy Network

31st August - 2nd September 2021

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Keynote Lecture 1: Prof. Gert Biesta

Are Equality and Equity Achievable Ambitions for Education

Keynote Lecture 2: Prof. sheila riddell

Competing Understandings of social justice in scottish education

Keynote Lecture 3: Prof. kerry kennedy

liberalism and the failure of the modern state

Revisiting educational equity informed by practice: A series of Presentations from the Education University of Hong Kong.

Chair: Tae-Hee CHOI

Contributors: Darren A. BRYANT, Michael GALLAGHER, Jan C. C. GUBE, Sung Tae JANG, Hei Hang Hayes TANG, Gail YUEN, Wai Ho Kevin YUNG (Symposium)

NB: Paper 2 (by Dr Jang Sung Tae) has been removed at the authors request. Therefore the video moves straight from Paper 1 to Paper 3 (@15:00).

general Conference Theme

Across the world, nations aspire towards educational equity. Very often this aspiration involves efforts to close what is called the ‘education gap’ or the ‘attainment gap’. Many of these efforts stem from concerns to increase attainment on national, standardised tests so that students might better position themselves in the job market. Such efforts are not without success and many countries can point to a reduction in the gaps between certain groups with regard to such educational attainment. However, it has to be noted that not every nation focuses their efforts on attainment alone; indeed, some would point to other measures for equity in education such as access to higher education or general health and wellbeing.

Whatever the focus, it is notably the case that in some form or other, evaluation takes centre-stage as the means by which policies designed to uplift educational success are judged. However, it is not always clear what procedures would allow for evaluating accomplishment in education on a micro- or macro-level: it is debatable whether or not, and to what extent, measurement can be an instrument of evaluation. That such measurement takes place is a feature of efforts such as the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) to demonstrate, at national levels, the ways and means by which education can be positioned, neoliberally, as an individual right and benefit, and an economic good. The question remains, though: what is left unaccounted for by emphasising measurement as the predominant instrument of evaluation?

Furthermore, the very concept of an education gap is often assumed to raise issues of equity across societies that are deeply stratified. That education is tasked to close such gaps is already a great challenge. But there are other complex gaps competing to be addressed, gaps created by those who do, or do not: have access to technology; or who struggle for recognition or inclusion in terms of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.

Beyond questions around the general criteria of educational success and the means with which we could ascertain such success, what is also often missed in debates are efforts to fundamentally question common understandings of education equity: ‘the education gap’. For example, it remains an general assumption that the education gap is something that should, as far as possible, be closed, and neither the nature of the education gap nor the question whether such a gap is desirable or not are discussed. From a broader perspective, it needs to be asked what equity in relation to education could truly mean; that is, what kind of differences and what causes of difference are we prepared to recognise or embrace, and how are we to ascertain equity in the light of the basic condition of difference. Philosophical and sociological discussion, for example, needs to take place so that policy might begin to consider the fundamental approaches that are taken to addressing the challenges posed by aspirations of equity in education.

This conference is part of a larger project working in collaboration with colleagues at the Education University of Hong Kong. The event provides a forum for scholars to debate the nature of educational equity and its relation to academic attainment and achievement.